Wednesday letters: Homeless vets, Dome plans, compassion

Copyright 2014: Houston Chronicle

Updated 8:53 pm, Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Homeless veterans

Regarding "Who vouches for the vets? (Page A1, Thursday), we think the short answer is that the Houston VA, Houston Housing Authority and Harris County Housing Authority all vouch for our homeless vets.

Our close collaboration has made it possible to house over 2,200 homeless vets since 2012. Housing the long-term homeless veteran is difficult work, as our many private and public community partners will attest, but Houston is leading in the national effort to end veterans' homelessness by December of next year.

As highlighted by retired Marine William Hamilton's plight, we want to use every voucher, every month, alongside much needed supportive services from the VA, without which most homeless veterans would not successfully find or keep their housing.

We are hopeful the article will prompt necessary change in Washington, D.C., that will allow the full utilization of vouchers by resolving differences between HUD and the VA and by providing the local flexibility needed to end veterans' homelessness here in Houston and across the country.

In the meantime, we continue our joint efforts with the local VA to make Hamilton's story a thing of the past.

Tory Gunsolley, president and CEO, Houston Housing Authority

Tom McCasland, CEO, Harris County Housing Authority

Dome plans

Regarding "A silly plan" (Page B17, Sunday), bravo, the superbly written editorial about the Dome should persuade the undecided, of which I think the numbers are legion, that we should indeed strive to Save the Dome.

Count me in. I plan to pursue the idea of a Houston Botanical Garden inside the Dome, where convention facilities, educational facilities and research facilities could be housed.

Teri Mathis, Rosenberg

Compassion counts

Regarding "Reducing caseloads key to foster children's safety" (Page B7, Saturday), as a volunteer in the system for many years, the volume of work for any case worker is impossible to keep up with.

We have a system, in my opinion, that does not care for the multitudes of children at risk. We are dealing with young children who have been abused, abandoned, traumatized and more.

Every child deserves to be loved and grow. Step up to the plate with money and resources.

A person without compassion is a person who lacks in moral and loving kindness.